Wigan to start Super League campaign with a Grand Final rematch

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Wigan's first home game of 2011 will be their World Club Challenge match with St George Illawarra Dragons. Michael Maguire's Warriors launch the defence of their Super League title with a Grand Final rematch against St Helens on the opening day of the Magic Weekend in Cardiff on Saturday, 12 February.

Their next match, according to the fixtures published today, will be a trip to Bradford to take on Mick Potter's new-look Bulls side on Sunday 20 February.

Wigan's scheduled game against Castleford the following Sunday has been postponed to accommodate the WCC against the Australian champions and, with a trip to Salford the following week, their first home league game of the season will not be until the fifth round on Sunday 13 March, when they host Hull.

The Warriors will break new ground when they play Catalan Dragons in Montpellier on Saturday 4 June.

The Dragons' first home game under new coach Trent Robinson will be in the second round against Wakefield at their customary base, Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan, on Saturday 19 February.

St Helens go to Salford in the second week before opening their home programme on Friday 25 February with a derby against Warrington at Widnes' Stobart Stadium, their temporary base for 2011 while work continues on their new stadium.

The Crusaders, who are expected to come out of administration in the next 10 days, will play their first home game against Bradford on Saturday, 26 February, in a match that pits the Welsh side's new head coach Iestyn Harris against his former club.

Derbies are the theme for the Millennium Magic fixtures, which were announced last month, and they will be repeated over Easter, starting with Bradford's fixture against Leeds on Thursday 21 April.

The Hull derby will be staged at the KC Stadium the following day along with Wigan versus St Helens at the DW Stadium and Castleford against Wakefield at the Jungle.

The League has continued with the practice of arranging two fixtures over Easter, with 12 of the clubs in action on the bank holiday Monday and Huddersfield playing Salford on the Tuesday.

Sky has arranged its coverage for matches up to and including round 14 and all 14 clubs will have featured at least twice on live television by round eight.

The play-offs begin on the weekend of 17 September and climax with the Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday 8 October.